122, Kadawatha Road, Kalubowila, Dehiwala
Open 9.00 AM - 8.00 PM (11. 30 AM & 6.30 PM onwards for food collection)
Galle Caterers are one of the older caterers in Colombo with quite a large customer-base. We've tried their stuff on numerous occasions and they offer great value for money on top of consistent taste.
Galle Caterers are one of the oldest caterers in Colombo with quite a large customer-base. We've tried their stuff on numerous occasions and been happy more often than not. They offer great value for money and consistently tasty foods.
Galle Caterers can be considered one of the pioneers of the biriyani sawan movement in Colombo, offering large portions at very reasonable rates. Now they've improved their menu to offer a whole different bunch of biriyanis both rice and string hopper (chicken, beef, mutton and prawn), as well as fried rice and kidus for lunch.
What has made Galle Caterers so popular is the prices, still some of the most affordable around at Rs. 2850 for chicken biriyani sawan, going up to Rs. 3800 for prawn biriyani. Note that these are portions that can easily feed a group of 10. Each of the sawans come with a full roast chicken, green pea and cashew curry, achcharu, maldive fish sambol, a bit of pineapple and a bowl of wattalapam for dessert.
Another thing we like is the fact that their roast chicken is quite sizeable and comes with a thick and spicy sauce. The chicken can be considered a bit overcooked but its still fine in terms of flavour.
The biriyani itself comes with a good amount of chicken and cashews along with the usual keeri samba. I'd say the rice portion is enough for more than ten people but there wouldn't be enough chicken (that's good for 6-8). In our case we had a good amount left over which was still good two days later out of the fridge.
The sides are also well thought through and cooked in a way that complements the rice. The green pea and cashew curry adding a bit of richness and texture and the achcharu, prepared almost like a chutney, adds a bit of sweetness.
Finally, the wattalapam - often the most neglected part of a a sawaan - is very good. It's very sweet, but all the flavours come through, with a good balance of richness. Unfortunately, it only serves maybe three to four people, so you may want to grab an extra one.
Galle Caterers used to operate out of a pretty dubious looking old house on Kadawatha Road, but now they've moved to a newly renovated building next door which actually looks like a professional operation. You need to place your orders a bit early if you intend to pick it up on the same day. We've ordered from them on multiple occasions without running into any major hiccups.
Galle Caterers built their name around tasty biriyani sawans which offer great value for money and they've stuck to that. It won't be the best biriyani you've ever tasted but if you're looking to feed a large crowd, it's a good one.
Address
122, Kadawatha Road, Kalubowila, Dehiwala
Directions
Turn to Kadawatha Road from Hill Street and keep on it for a bit less that 1 km. Galle Caterers is opposite the Vishnu Kovil Road.
Contacts
Report InaccuracyOpen 9.00 AM - 8.00 PM (11. 30 AM & 6.30 PM onwards for food collection)
Cuisine
Price Range
Dish Types
Ratings Breakdown
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Charith
What is this review trying to achieve?
Here are the comments made in summary:
1. Size of portion and # of mouths it can feed - repeated, (same serving size at the same price at most places)
2. sizeably overcooked chicken which is fine in flavour….
3. well thought thru sides that complement the rice…! (same sides that come with any briyani/sawan)
3. very sweet watallapan (not a good thing)
4. not the best briyani ever….
How about what the briyani, which is the main item here, actually tastes like compared to others you have rated perhaps a bit beyond 'not the best briyani ever'
Review seems to have been rushed.
Stefan J
Galle Caterers is opposite the Vishnu Kovil Cross Road, not the Vishnu Kovil Road. That's further ahead.
Lakmi
I ordered sawans for my daughter's birthday and the food was good and rice was enough for 10 people. Even though the food was good I found out that their kitchen was extremely dirty and the people who work in the kitchen are even more dirty. Our driver who went to collect the order from Galle caterers refused to eat food at the party and later informed that he saw people in the kitchen scratching their body (putting their hands inside through their pants) and touching the cooked biriyani without washing hands. One guy had dropped the roasted chicken on the dirty floor and simply picked it up and packed it and it was directly given to another person who came to collect his order. Normally you don't see these things because we don't walk around the premises but since the order was not ready my driver had been walking around the premises and seen this. Even though the food might be good and service might be good, after hearing how disgustingly dirty their kitchen is I would never order from this place. Unless they do something to change this, people who notice this will spread the news and they will eventually lose some good customers. Hope Galle caterers will do something to improve this.
Amalkhan
**Lakmi
Is it true? I went to Galle Caterers Yesterday, the kitchen is pretty much decent where the chefs and other workers where is decent attire. May be they have read your comments and improved their standard :p. But I accept your comment on the quality of the food, their Biriyani is simply awesome.
Lankan
Wow… you must have a high class highly paid driver if he's gonna be that picky… I don't approve of the kitchen standards of 3/4ths of the places i eat at, but beggars can't be choosers. Saiva kades, aappa kades, rotti kades, etc. are the most affordable food options available to us normal fork, and normally a driver in Sri Lanka would fall into this category, unless he's some kinda chauffeur like in Hollywood movies… And it's no secret that these cheap places are not very clean, nobody would eat at any of these places if they saw the kitchen… But we normal folk bury the thought in the deepest recesses of our minds :) so we can enjoy the meal.
Tell me, does your driver never eat at such places? Cause if he does and he's complaining about the condition of the kitchen at Galle Caterers, then you might want to check if he's got a case of the "racism" virus that seems to be spreading in recent years…
Jayarine Iyne
Well said!! We as regular customers of Galle Caterers say they are the BEST!!
Jayarine Iyne
Lakmi, I find it hard to believe what was said by your driver. Ask him to go into all the food kitchens before he says negative stuff!. We are not swayed by anybody's negative comments as we have been good customers of Galle Caterers!! They are the BEST!!
Someonefromwella
Thanks for this info, was helpful - as late as this comment is. No review is perfect, but does give a lot more info than none at all! keep it up.